After a two month break, McSorely’s Old Ale House officially reopened on Friday. The East Village watering hole, which claims to be the oldest bar in New York City, announced a new take out menu, including its two ale options, light or dark, served in to-go growlers. The reopening comes after a two-month closure due to the coronavirus, the longest the historic bar has ever been closed, as EV Grieve first reported.

A fixture on the corner of St. Marks Place and Second Avenue in the East Village for 100 years, Gem Spa has permanently closed. The store, considered home to New York’s best egg cream, had been struggling financially due to the gentrification of the neighborhood, as well as the loss of its cigarette and lottery licenses last year. While a fundraising effort launched last fall by current owner Parul Patel helped temporarily, the coronavirus pandemic “ultimately sealed the fate” of the institution.

Treat yourself this Friday to a meal of pierogis followed by cheesecake. East Village icons Veselka and Veniero’s Pasticceria & Caffe, the Ukrainian restaurant that started in 1954 and the Italian bakery that opened in 1894 respectively, will both reopen for takeout and delivery on May 1. Eater spotted the news on Veniero’s Instagram that the bakery will reopen for takeout, delivery, and curbside pickup. Likewise, Veselka posted on their Instagram that they will open for takeout and delivery.

The Bronx Brewery is moving downtown. The local brewing company announced on Wednesday plans to open a pilot brewery and taphouse this fall in a multi-level East Village spot at 64 Second Avenue. The Bronx Brewery East Village will also feature a kitchen with “special guest” chefs and space for live music.

For many, celebrating Irish American heritage in March brings one to Fifth Avenue for the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, or perhaps a visit to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. But for those willing to venture beyond Midtown, there’s a rich Irish American history to be found in Greenwich Village and the East Village. While both neighborhoods became better known for different kinds of communities in later years – Italians, Ukrainians, gay men and lesbians, artists, punks – Irish immigration in the mid-19th century profoundly shaped both neighborhoods. Irish Americans and Irish immigrants played a critical role in building immigrant and artistic traditions in Greenwich Village and the East Village. Here are some sites connected to that great heritage, from the city’s oldest intact Catholic Church to Irish institutions like McSorely’s Old Ale House.

Though it’s located on busy 14th Street at the crossroads of Union Square and the East Village, this just-right-sized one-bedroom co-op at 243 East 14th Street promises pin-drop quiet within its walls. It also offers more closet space than the average Village pad.

21,000 pierogis, 2,500 latkes, and 110 gallons of borscht–that’s how much Veselka is serving up each week. But it’s impossible to quantify how many memories have been made at the famous East Village Ukrainian restaurant, which has been in operation since 1954. Whether it’s grandparents who remember going to what was then a small candy shop and newspaper stand at a time when the East Village was a thriving Eastern European community, or counter-culture icons of the 1970s, or club kids of the ’90s, or the NYU students of today, you can bet that nearly every New Yorker has some story of enjoying a meal at Veselka.

6sqft recently got a behind-the-scenes tour of Veselka’s kitchen to see how the magic happens, in addition to chatting with third-generation owner Jason Birchard. Ahead, check out all the photos and learn about the history of Veselka.

Exposed brick walls and a decorative fireplace give this East Village alcove studio at 186 East 2nd Street charm to spare while clever space-saving solutions and plenty of storage make it adaptable to modern life. Asking $525,000, it’s got a prime East Village location to boot, just two blocks away from the Second Avenue F train station and a short walk to Tompkins Square Park.

This year, the New York Public Library is celebrating its 125th anniversary. With 53 million items and 92 locations across Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island, the NYPL is the largest municipal library in the world. It’s also the steward of some of New York’s greatest landmarks, reflecting a century and a quarter of Gotham’s history, and in some cases even more.

The roots of this library system can be found in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and Noho. The main antecedents of the NYPL which formed the foundation of today’s system— the Astor Library, the Lenox Library, and the New York Free Circulating Library – all began in these neighborhoods just below 14th Street. As a result, this is where New York’s oldest public library buildings and the oldest building housing an NYPL branch are located — the latter ironically having been where great works of literature were banned and censored before it became a library.

This cozy East Village pad at 300 East 4th Street has the modern chic vibe that gives apartments in this neighborhood such charm. The building also has the architectural distinction of being in a former rectory that was converted to co-ops, giving each unit within a unique footprint. Asking $775,000, the one-bedroom home near picturesque and lively Avenue C gets 13-foot ceilings and a loft for storage or sleeping.

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